


the library

by bloodredcherries



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 16:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15822261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: Hermione, a precocious child, had discovered the Library at a young age.





	the library

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).



There were few places in Hermione Granger’s world that she  _ truly _ felt comfortable, despite the fact that she and her parents, the Drs. Granger, had set up their lives in a quiet suburb of Herefordshire, which wasn’t exactly known for its lack of stability, its nightlife, or anything that wasn’t completely and utterly boring and benign. Though the Grangers had chosen the town due to its relatively mixed populance, and it’s purported dedication to being open and accepting, and it wasn’t as if Hermione was targeted due to the colour of her skin or anything that  _ blatantly banal _ \-- well, she pretended as if she wasn’t targeted for other reasons (reasons she couldn’t provide an explanation for, because Hermione  _ knew _ the reasons sounded absolutely  _ barmy _ and her parents would think she was covering up with a child’s imagination for something more entirely sinistre, while what she was doing was unfortunately telling the truth for the ostracisation) and she pretended that she was  _ okay _ with her classmates barely giving her the time of day, and that  _ of course _ Mum and Dad didn’t have to take time off from their practise to follow up on Hermione with her  _ school _ , that was entirely unneeded, Mum, everything was fine.

 

Most parents would have been suspicious by their child’s unbelievably specific denials, but the Drs. Granger were busy starting up their dentistry practise and building a reputation for themselves, and, well, Hermione was a quiet, well behaved, child, so questioning the young girl was rather far down the twosome’s list of priorities. 

 

Hermione, a precocious child, had discovered the Library at a young age. The programmes on the telly after school often bored her (she could see why they would appeal to others, but she was  _ not _ one of them), and she had read through the majority of the books that her household owned by the time that she was able to stay alone by herself (after scaring off yet another childminder, Hermione had put it upon herself to convince her mum and dad that seven was a  _ thoroughly _ acceptable age to be allowed to watch oneself alone in the house, as long as Hermione promised to not have any friends over whilst they were at work). Though, theoretically, she was most likely expected to stay at home, she would often elect to visit the Library instead. 

 

It was nice, Hermione thought, to  _ read _ about people having friends, to get to experience that type of life, even if only in the context of her novels. She’d long since abandoned picture books and easy-readers (Hermione had begun reading prenaturally early, and was therefore rather advanced) for middle and upper grade level books. Reading was what kept her busy, and she found that, when she read, she was able to escape. It was hard for her to admit, but there  _ was _ a part of her that wanted to have friends, that wanted to fit in, that didn’t particularly cherish being a social leper, that wished that the things that happened that she sometimes couldn’t control were viewed as positives instead of negatives...but no matter which school her parents sent her to, they always were.

 

Things started to make sense when Hermione found out that she was a witch, and that she was going to be attending a special school with other witches and wizards, where she was to learn how to control her magic. Magic was, apparently, the explanation for what was behind all of the things that she couldn’t control. Mum and Dad were predictably flummoxed by the news that their daughter -- their  _ only child _ \-- was going to become a  _ witch _ , rather than follow them into General Dentistry. 

 

Charitably, she  _ could  _ see why it would be a shock to them.

 

Hermione allowed herself to hope that the fact that she was not the sole person that had odd things happen to her, that she was going to be in a school with her magical peers, would lead to an educational experience free from torment from others. Sure, she conceded that it was naive to expect her schooling to be free of  _ all  _ bullying, but she did hold out hope that the  _ majority _ of the bullying would have been stopped.  

 

She’d heard the term  _ Mudblood _ her first day, and originally assumed it was a blatant dig on the colour of her skin. She had been surprised -- unpleasantly so -- to learn that (while the Magical world wasn’t  _ racist _ , per se) her new acquaintances believed in something known as Blood Purity. Hermione thought it was daft of them to discount her entirely based on an accident of blood, and she vowed to try to ignore her tormentors. 

 

The greater problem, she’d found, came from her  _ peers _ . Hermione wasn’t used to socially interacting with her contemporaries, this was true, but she’d been so  _ excited _ to read the entirety of Hogwarts, a history, that she’d just  _ assumed  _ that everyone had read it. And  _ maybe _ she’d gotten a bit...obsessive over the tome. Maybe.

 

There was a great possibility that she had. 

 

The problem was that being the  _ know-it-all _ , as Ronald Weasley so  _ kindly _ referred to her as, on repeated occasions, was really all that Hermione  _ knew  _ how to be. 

 

And so, at a loss for her skills at socialisation, Hermione found herself at the Hogwarts’ school library. 

 

It was  _ magnificent _ . Rows upon rows of books of all  _ types  _ of magical subjects, all for the taking. There was a Restricted section, of course, but Hermione rationalised that she was destined to gain access to it eventually, and, besides, there were so many non-restricted books that she didn’t know when she’d have  _ time _ to read the ones in the Restricted section. 

 

Even without the banality of friendships, there was the fact that she was a full time pupil to consider. 

 

There was always homework to do, in seemingly every subject. Hermione relished the chance to learn new skills (she decidedly did  _ not _ relish the taunts she heard of ‘know-it-all’ from the others, including people that were in her  _ own house _ , but she pressed on). She’d decided it was better to be mocked by those who understood why she was different, than those who did not. 

 

Still, she cherished the library. 

 

She cherished the library even after she started to make friendships with the other people that were in Gryffindor. Despite Ron and Harry’s feelings about the library, Hermione could often be found tucked away in the corner, away from Madam Pince’s wandering eyes.

 

Hermione knew perfectly well how to make herself appear invisible, even without Harry’s cloak.

 

In spite of having friends, the library still maintained its purpose as her safe haven. The world was growing dark, and Hermione felt as if the library (with all its books, and knowledge, so similar to the one she had known in the Muggle world, and yet so different) was the one thing that remained pure.

 

Untarnished by hate. Its most potent secrets locked away. 

 

She cherished it.

 

Hermione often thought back to her childhood, once she had survived the war and ended up with a library of her own, where Muggle and Magical books coexisted in a mostly peaceful harmony. She didn’t remember the girls from her Muggle primary school that spent their days trapping her in a web of torment (if she did, at least, she couldn’t recognise them if she tripped over them. She barely remembered the faces of her peers at Hogwarts that called her Mudblood -- and worse. (She remembered unfortunately well just how she had gotten  _ that scar _ .) Time had given her the wisdom to realise that dwelling on such things was pointless. 

 

But, Hermione remembered the books.

 

And, Hermione remembered her Libraries. 


End file.
